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Coordinates: 51°39'34?N 3°30'20?W? / ?51.6594, -3.5055
Treorchy (Welsh: Treorci) is a village, although it used to be and still has characteristics of a town, in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taff, South Wales, lying in the Rhondda Fawr Valley.
The village grew around the coal mining industry during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century, but by the end of the twentieth century all the local pits had closed creating an econimic downtown in the community.
[edit] Employment
Treorchy was, for many years, a town that relied on the coal mines such as Abergorki, Tylecoch and Dare collieries. All of the collieries had closed by the end of the 1970s, leaving many to find new work. Treorchy became a commuter village, with the working population seeking employment in the larger towns and cities that surround it, such as Cardiff and Bridgend. The work in Treorchy now is mostly retail.
[edit] Education
Treorchy has two main schools: Treorchy Primary School and Treorchy Comprehensive. Treorchy Primary school is not on the original site of Treorchy Boys and Treorchy Girls schools, but is built 100 m further along Glyncoli Road. It is built to the original plans used on many of the older schools in the upper Rhondda.
Treorchy Comprehensive school was built on the old site of the Tylecoch colliery, with its western athletics track being named the "Red Ash", after it being the remnants of the mine shaft. This was removed in 2006 to build an astroturf sportsfield. The school is officially 500 m from the main gate to the rear gate,and runs from Chepstow Road, Cwmparc, to the Tylecoch Bridge, Treorchy.
[edit] Transportation
There are several roads linking Treorchy to other towns and villages. The A4061 leads over the Bwlch y Clawdd Pass, and it is possible to travel to Bridgend via the Ogmore Valley and also to Maesteg and Port Talbot. Within the Rhondda Fawr Valley, taking the A4061 northwards leads to the end of the valley, at Treherbert, and ultimately the road continues to Hirwaun, which is at the junction of the Head of the Valleys Road, and just south of the Brecon Beacons National Park. Following the valley's course southward on the A4058, one reaches Llwynypia, Tonypandy, Porth and Pontypridd, where one can use the A470 to reach Cardiff.
Treorchy also has its own railway station, which is located on the Rhondda Line, which has regular services up the line to Treherbert railway station and also to Cardiff Central run by Arriva Trains Wales.
It also is served by buses operated by Stagecoach in South Wales to Blaenrhondda, Blaencwm, Treherbert, Tonypandy, Porth, Pontypridd and Caerphilly. On summer Sundays, Veolia provides a route to Bridgend (via the Ogmore Valley) and Brecon under the Shamrock Travel branding.
[edit] Entertainment and social history
Treorchy is home to the Treorchy Male Choir, while attractions in the town include the Parc and Dare Hall. The Parc and Dare hall provides entertainment from new films as a cinema, to pantomime and theatre. The Parc and Dare work closely with Treorchy Comprehensive on many shows such as "Back To Broadway", the annual school Eisteddfod and regular school musicals. The Parc and Dare also hosts the Eisteddfod for Ysgol Gyfun Y Cymmer.
[edit] Cultural references
- Max Boyce recorded the album, Live at Treorchy in the Treorchy Rugby Club.[2]
Treorchy is home to Treorchy RFC a rugby union club who are nicknamed the Zebras.
A photograph of Treorchy's High Street (May 2005)
[edit] Notable people
[edit] External links
[edit] References
(Source: Wikipedia) |